This invention relates to flexion control for a ski boot and, more particularly, to means for controlling the flexion characteristics of the upper shell of the ski boot relative to the lower shell thereof.
In many conventional ski boots, the upper shell is pivotally connected to the lower shell, and provision is made for varying the flex characteristics of the upper shell relative to the lower shell. Such flexion control is desirable not only to accommodate the ski boot for skiers of different levels of skill, but also to permit the skier to vary the flexion characteristics for different skiing conditions while the ski boots are in use.
Toward this end, ski boots have been equipped with springs and other types of hardware to provide flexion control. Since snow and ice tend to build up on the hardware, these flexion control devices may not be dependable or effective and may even be dangerous.
The Robran et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,356, issued June 20, 1978, discloses a ski boot in which opposed edges of the upper and lower shells define between them a pocketshaped cavity which accommodates a transversely extending resilient band to limit and control the flexion of the upper shell relative to the lower shell. The flexion characteristics can be adjusted by substituting a resilient band of different resiliency. The flexion control of the Robran et al. ski boot cannot be adjusted while the ski boot is worn by the skier.
The Salomon U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,768, issued June 26, 1984, discloses a ski boot in which the flexion can be adjusted by the skier while the ski boot is worn by the skier. The Salomon flexion control embodies a band which extends across at least part of the instep of the lower shell and a cursor which is slidably adjusted within the groove formed between the lower edge of the upper shell and the upper edge of the lower shell. The band is attached at opposite ends to either the lower shell or the lower cuff portion of the upper shell, and the cursor transmits the movement of the lower edge of the upper shell to the span of the band intermediate its anchored ends. In the Salomon flexion control, the resistance to the flexion of the upper shell relative to the lower shell is generally offset from the fore-and-aft centerline of the lower shell and, therefore, unsymmetrical with respect to the pivots of the upper shell.